Recorder controls



May 3, 1955 F. P. KEIPER 2,707,729

RECORDER CONTROLS Filed Nov. 6, .1948

3 Sheets-Sheet l INVEN TUR FRANCIS E' KBlPER 60 TTURNEY May 3, 1955 F. P. KEIPER RECORDER CONTROLS Filed Nov. e. 1948 E 9.4- o 28 I sie?,

v3 Sheets-Sheet 2 May 3, 1955 F. P. Kr-:IPER 2,707,729

RECORDER coNTRoLs Filed Nov. 6. 1948 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 /aa /40 L I 80 8 n l l| r1 El/a. "LD J 52h-Isa Fit- INVENTUR 1:,88 FRANCIS P KmPER TTQHNEY United States Patent O RECRDER CONTROLS Francis P. Keiper, Cazenovia, N. Y.

Application November 6, 1948, Serial No. 58,673

3 Claims. (Cl. 179--100-.2)

This invention relates to wire recorders, and more particularly to control means thereof.

In Wire recorders of the type presently on the market, and particularly those manufactured by Webster Chicago Company and known as Model 80, a line paramagnetic wire is caused to traverse a demagnetizing and recording head, the wire being unwound from a storage reel and being wound upon a 'fixed speed winding drum to effect traverse. The neness of the wire renders such wire diicult to handle, particularly with respect to attachment of the wire to the reels upon which it is Wound.

During the operation of such recorders, no provision is made for determining when the wire being removed from a reel is approaching the end, and thus the end of the wire is permitted to be detached from the unwinding reel unless there is vigilant observation of an operator who may stop the mechanism prior to the wire becoming detached from the reel. When the wire becomes detached from one reel, the many turns upon the winding reel become loose and liable to tangle. Additionally, it becomes necessary to rethread the end of thewire upon the reel from which it has become detached'.

it is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide means for stopping, the apparatus` prior to detachment of the end of the wire from the unwinding reel.

A further object of the invention is to provide mechanism for operating the control means of a wire recorder and rendering suchmechanismresponsive to a condition of the wire or the amount of wire remaining upon an unwinding reel.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a reel having a non-reliective drum portion for containing reflective wire and light sensitive means responsive to the exposure ofthe non-reective drum for discontinuing operation of a wire recorder.

The above and other novel features of the invention will appear more fully hereinafter from the following. detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 1t is expressly understood-V that theV drawings are employed for purposes of illustration only and are not designed as a definition of the limits Figure 3 is a fragmentary section taken substantially on the line 31--3` of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a section takenA substantially on the line 4-4 of Figure l', and showing the. motor driving means;

Figure 5 is a section taken substantially onl the line 5 5 of Figure 4, and` showing the motor driving. mecha-` msm;

Figure1 6. is a` side elevation of a-` reel showing the end 2,707,729 Patented May 3, 1955 Vice turns of recorded wire about to be removed therefrom;

Figure 7 is a top plan View of a control actuating mechanism with the cover thereof removed;

Figure 8 is a section taken substantially on the line 8 8 of Figure 7;

Figure 9 is a section taken substantially on the line 9-9 of Figure 7; and

Figure 10 is a circuit for actuating such mechanism.

Referring to Figure 1, there is shown a recorder having a casing 10, a top plate 12 having circular recesses 14 and 16 for accommodating wire reels 18 and 20. Betweenthe reels 18 and 20 is a recording head 22 having the usual transverse wire-receiving groove in the rear thereof and through which the recording wire 24v passes as it is wound upon one reel and unwound from the other. As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the reels 13 and 20 each have a drum portion 26 and 28 upon which the wire 24 is adapted to be wound in layers. Such wire is attached at its ends to such reels in any desired manner. The reel 26 is pivoted upon a shaft 27 extending through the boss 30 mounted upon an upper frame plate 32, and is adapted to be driven in a clockwise direction at a con stant speed. Between the frame plate 32 and a lower frame plate 34 is a constant speed motor 36 having an upwardly extending drive shaft 38. Such motor is provided with a pair of spaced aligned rockers such as bearing against plate 34, the motor being resiliently held downward against such plate by a spring 42 and biased to rock to the right by a spring 44.

The motor shaft 38 projects through a slot 39 in the plate 32 and is provided with a friction drive wheel 46 and a friction drive shaft extension 48. The friction. drive wheel 46 is shown in engagement with a drum Si) upon which the reel 20 is detachably positioned, the drum 50 being pivoted upon a shaft extension projecting from the boss 52. Upon rocking the motor 36 to the right, the friction drive shaft extension 4S may be brought into engagement with the periphery of a friction drive idler wheel 54 pivotally mounted upon a stub shaft S6, such friction wheel 54 having friction engagement with a depending skirt-like drum 58 located beneath and forming a part of the reel 1S. It will thus be seen that by shifting the motor 36 upon rocker 40, a relatively slow drive is providedV through the idler 54 to the real 18 and al relatively fast drive in a reverse direction is provided for the reel 20.

Pivotally mounted upon the plate 32 is a manually controlled cam shaft 60 having a cam 64 adapted to' bear against a cam follower 66 upon the motor 36. Such cam` shaft 60 is adapted to be moved to one of three positions by a lever 68 having a manually operable arm 70 conveniently projecting out from under the top plate 12. The cam 64l is adapted to rock the motor 36 to the position shown in Figure 4, for high speed rewind, that is counterclockwise power rotation of the reel 20 or to allow the motor to rock under the tension of spring 44 toa mid-position where the friction wheel 46 is out of contact with the drum 50 and the friction drive shaft' extension 48 is out of contact with the idler S4. A third position of the cam permits the motor 36 to rock, so that the friction shaft extension 48 engages the idler 54- and slow speed clockwise drive of the reel 18 results. The three positions of the motor thus described are effected by the lifts 72, 74 and 76, respectively, of the cam 64.

The apparatus thus far described is common to the recorders referred to, and provides a means for at will causing a recording wire to be unwound from the supply reel 20 and wound upon the temporary storage reel 18 during. recording and reproduction or play back, and permits rewinding of such wire at a higher rate from the reel 18 to the reel 20. In order to prevent too rapid a shift from counterclockwise rotation of the rcel to clockwise rotation of the reel 18, spring-backed buttons 78 and 8i) are mounted adjacent the lever 70 to provide an interlock and prevent movement of the cam control lever 70 past the mid-position without deliberate action and depression of one of the buttons by the operator out of the path of the lever 7G. In practice, suitable brakes may be applied to the reels in order to prevent slack in the Wire.

The recording head 22 is preferably caused to traverse the width of the drum 26 of the reel 18 during reeling in either direction so as to evenly lay the wire upon such reels, it being the practice to lay the wire in layers each composed of spaced convolutions. Such recording head is mounted upon a vertical slide bar 23 extending through guide apertures in the plates 32 and 34. A worm 25 on shaft 27 drives a worm wheel 29 and cam 31 pivoted on a bracket 33, and by means of a rock lever 35, fulcrumed at 37, the head 22 is causcd to reciprocate or traverse the width of reel 18 as reel 18 rotates. will be seen, with the apparatus thus described, that the wire will continue to be wound upon one reel and unwound from the other until such time as the Wire becomes exhausted, whereupon such wire will become detached from the unwinding reel and will then form loose turns upon the Winding reel. In becoming detached from the reel, an end may be broken and the wire stretched and cold Worked and caused to become brittle and to kink. It is desirable that the apparatus be stopped before the wire becomes detached. The head 22, whose traverse bears a relation to the drum 18 and the wire wound thereon, will become out of step with the wire on the drum 1S if the drum is allowed to spin any length of time after the wire becomes detached,

and difculty is had in accurately coordinating the wire as wound on the reel with the traverse of such head when detachment occurs.

In order to stop the reels before the end of the wire is reached, the drum portions 26 and 23 of the reels are finished with dark non-reflective surfaces to contrast with the highly reflective nature of the stainless steel wire normally employed for recording. A source of light is provided for illuminating the drums 26 and 28, together with a light-sensitive cell so positioned as to be sensitive to exposure of the non-reflective drum surface 26 or 28, as the case may be, after the reilective wire is unreeled sutciently to uncover the non-reflective surface,

The top plate 12 as shown is in the form of a webbed casting, the over-all thickness being substantially that of the axial width of the reels 18 and 20. The upper r surface 80 of the casting and the ribs thereunder may be so arranged as to provide suitable light channels for directing reflected beams as described. in Figure l, the top surface 88 is broken away to show spaced webs 82 and 84 forming a light channel leading in either direction toward the drums 26 and 28 of the reels 18 and 20. In the approximate center of the channel is a light source in the form of a miniature electric light bulb 86 mounted upon the frame plate 32, the bulb projecting through an aperture 88 in the bottom wall 90 of the top plate 12. The drums and wire contained thereon are thus brightly illuminated. Webs 92 and 94 form a channel 96 leading from the reel 2t) directed toward a photoelectric cel! 98 mounted immediately beneath the top surface 80 of the top panel 12, so that light rcected from the reel may be transmitted to such cell. Likewise, webs 10) and 102 provide a channel 184 for photo-electric cell 98. Each of the channels 96 and 184 are bounded at their top by the top surface 88 and an underneath cover plate 106 secured to the webs or ribs by suitable screws such as 108.

Each of the channels 96 and 184 is provided with a concentrating lens 118 and 112, respectively, which may be of cylinder type to focus and concentrate the light reflected from the respective reels upon the active element of the photo-cell 98.

Since it is necessary to prevent light from being re flected from one of the reels while reflecting light from the other, depending on which reel wire is being unwound from, an arcuate shutter 114 carried on an arm 116 secured to the manual control lever 78 is provided to cut off light channel 96 or 104 as the ease may be. As shown in Figure l, the manual control 7G is set for recording or play-back, and the wire is .being wound upon reel 13 and unwound from reel 2t). Thus, the light channel 104 is cut off, and the photo-electric cell is only sensitive to light reflected from the drum of rcel 20 or the wire contained thereon.

In order to actuate the control lever 70 in response to a change in reflected light intensity from either reel, there is provided a spring loaded actuating mechanism 11S mounted adjacent to the forward edge of the top plate 12. Such mechanism consists of a stamping or plate 120 adapted to be rigidly clamped between the plate 12 and the forward top surface 122 formed as an offset extension of the frame plate 32. The plate 126 is provided with upstruck locating fingers 124 and 126 to engage the curved downwardly extending forward Wall 128 of the top plate 12 on either side thereof. Slidably mounted upon the plate 120 is an actuating plate 130, the same having guide slots 132 and 134 slidable upon the headed pins 136 atllxed to plate 120. The plate 130 is provided with a pair of spaced arms 138 and 140 for engaging the control lever 70, and it will thus be seen that movement of the plate will actuate the lever 70. The plate 120 is provided with a pair of spaced struck-up ngers 142 and 144 between which extends a rod 146. Threaded and freely slidable on the rod is a precompressed spring 148 bearing against end Washers 150 and 152, each of the washers having spring centering collars 156 and 158. The plate 130 is provided with a rectangular aperture 159 from which pairs of upstruck fingers 160 and 162 are formed. Each of the pairs of fingers has inturned flanges 164 and 166. The flanges 164 and 166 are adapted to engage the washers 15) and 152, respectively, so that upon movement of the plate 130 from a central position to, for example, the position shown in Figure 7, the spring 148 is further compressed. The plate is locked in such position by a detent 168 carried on a pivoted armature 169, the detent riding in a notch 170 formed in a side flange 172 of the plate 130.

It will be seen from the structure thus described that upon release of the detent 168, the plate 130 by action of spring 148, will be caused to move to a central position with the flanges 164 and 166 each in engagement with the respective washers 150 and 152, and the detent 168 will then lie in a central V notch 174. Likewise, if the plate 130 be moved to the extreme right, the spring 148 will be compressed between tlanges 166 bearing upon the washer 150 and linger 144, and the plate will be held in such position by the detent 168 lying in notch 176. Movement of the plate 130 to one end position or the other results from the manual movement of the control lever 70 to either of the extreme positions shown as at 70 or 70. Upon release of the detent 168, the spring 148 causes the plate 130 to center itself and move the lever 70 to the central position indicated at 70".

The detent 168 and armature 169 are spring held in either of the notches 170 or 176 by the spring 178, the armature being pivoted upon a bracket mounting an electromagnet 182 and forming a part of the magnetic circuit therefor. The electromagnet is so arranged as to withdraw the detent 168 from either of the notches 170 or 176 in which it may lie upon energization thereof. The notch 174 is V-shaped to permit camming of the detent therefrom by movement of the plate, and is formed deeper than the notches 170 or 176 in order to permit the detent 168 to move slightly further from the magnet 182, and in thus doing so, a pair of contacts 184 are opened. One of the contacts 184 is mounted upon a light leaf spring 186 carried by the armature 179 so as not normally to interfere with the movement of the armature 169, and the leaf spring is so set that the contacts 184 open in the manner described only when the detent 168 rests in the central notch 174.

A control circuit, shown in Figure 10, comprises the photo-electric cell 98, and a relay 188 having contacts 190. The relay magnet is in circuit with a battery 192 and the battery cut-out contacts 184 and the photo-electric cell 98, so that whenever the photo-electric cell 98 is energized by a substantial beam of light as is reected from the reective recorder wire on a reel, as is the case when the lever 70 is at either end position, the relay contacts 190 will be opened. The relay contacts 190 are in circuit with the battery 192 and the electromagnet 182 such that when the magnet 188 becomes de-energized by action of the photo-electric cell, the contacts 190 close, energizing the magnet 182, drawing the detent 168 away from the notches 170 or 176 as the case may be, to thereby permit the spring 148 to move the control handle 70 to the central position 70". The battery and relay may be located within the casing or may be arranged in a separate control box with a cable having a plug receptacle connection 194 engageable with the plug 196 mounted in the side wall of the actuating mechanism 118.

in Figure 6, there is shown a reel with a number of turns of recording wire Wound thereon, and with a substantial portion of the reel drum exposed. It will be seen that as the reel drum becomes exposed by unwinding reective wire therefrom, the exposed non-reilective drum surface terminates the reflection of light from the light source 86 to the photo-electric cell 98. The relection of light is substantially stopped by the time the number of turns is reduced to three or four, as is indicated in Figure 6, so that the apparatus is shut ot in ample time to prevent the end of the recording wire from being forceably detached from the reel. While the reel 20 is the detachable supply reel, the action with respect to reel 18 is precisely the same, the non-redective drum thereof becoming exposed upon the end of the rewinding of the wire therefrom upon reel 20. Upon exposure of the non-rellective reel bottom, the light sensitive cell becomes de-energized and the control lever 70 is moved to center position 70, by the spring. The photo-electric cell may be of the selenium type, whose resistance decreases upon illumination, or of any of the vacuum tube types, in which case the circuit may be modilied to provide proper amplication by triodes, as is well understood in the art. It should be observed that operation of the device has been described as dependent upon a decrease in reflectivity of the recorder wire and reel drum, but the reverse might be equally effective, that is, the reel drum made highly rellective and the wire less so, and then the relay 188 might be eliminated and the photo-Celi direct acting on magnet 182. It will also appear that the control mechanism 118 has been illustrated and designed as an adjunct, but that such mecha nism may with equal applicability be built into the apparatus. The control mechanism may also be used in connection with other indication means, for indicating the end or a selected portion of the recording wire, such as by utilization of a sound frequency responsive device adapted to resonate in response to a recorded pitch of the same frequency, which recorded pitch may be recorded on the wire at the end or elsewhere as desired. The sound frequency device upon resonating would then operate to close contacts 90, instead of utilizing a light sensitive cell.

Although a single embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited thereto. As various changes in the construction and arrangement may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art, reference will be had to the appended claims for a definition of the limits of the invention.

What is claimed is:

l. in combination with a wire recorder having a re cording head, a drive motor, a supply reel and a storage reel, and a recording wire having its opposite ends wound upon said reels, and a central portion between said reels. adapted to traverse a recording head, means for selectively driving one reel or the other in winding direction from said motor, means for directing a beam of light toward both reels, means responsive to a change in reected light of said beam from said reels to actuate said driving means into non-driving relation, and means for intercepting reflected light from the winding reel.

2. In a wire recorder' having a recording head, a suppiy reel, a storage reel each having nonreflecting drums, a highly reflective surface recording wire of substantial length adapted to be unreeled from one reel and reeled upon the other, and adapted to traverse a recording head, a motor for driving said reels, means for establishing driving relation between said motor and one reel or the other to unwind or rewind said wire from or upon said supply reel, means for directing a beam of light toward both reels, light sensitive means responsive to reected light from said beams from one or the other of said reels and sensitive to the presence of reecting wire thereon for terminating said driving relation.

3. In a wire recorder having a recording head, a supply reel, a storage reel, each having non-reflecting drums, a highly reflective surface recording wire of substantial length adapted to be unreeled from one reel and reeled upon the other, and adapted to traverse a recording head, a motor for driving said reels, means for establishing driving relation between said motor and one reel or the other to unwind or rewind said wire from or upon said supply reel, means for directing a beam of light toward both reels, light sensitive means responsive to reflected light from said beams one or the other of said reels and sensitive to a change between the reflective wire and the non-reflective drum surface as it becomes uncovered by said wire for terminating said driving relation.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 773,985 Rees Nov. l, 1904 1,560,721 OReilly Nov. 10, 1925 1,886,856 Warwick Nov. 8, 1932 1,915,825 Hescock June 27, 1933 1,988,255 Soons Jan. 15, 1935 2,213,664 Berg Sept. 3, 1940 2,214,332 Kline Sept. l0, 1940 2,408,320 Kuhlik Sept. 24, 1946 2,424,697 Lear July 29, 1947 2,432,171 Payne Dec. 9, 1947 2,481,004 Dale Sept. 6, 1949 2,483,679 Levitzer Oct. 4, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS 852,767 France Nov. 9, 1939 

